Friction draft-gear.



I. M. HOHLFING. 'F'mcTIoN DRAFT GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 20,4191'4,

19.141509@ Patented May 25, 1915.

er t

man mnonrrrne, or sr. Louis, MISSOURI. AssreNon 'ro AMERICAN can. am) FOUNDRY COMPANY, or sfr. Louis, MISSOURI, A oonronafriolv or NEW JERSEY.

rmorron nanrrenan.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 25, 1915.

Originalapplication filed June 10, 1914, Serial No. 844,176. Divided and this application led July 20,

i914. serial no. 851,323.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that l, JOHN M. Roi-immo, a citizen of the United States, residing at No, 4217 Red B ud avenue, St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvementin Friction Draft-Gear, of which the following is a full, clear, and eX- act description, -such as will enable others skilled in the art to which` it appertans t make and use the same, reference being had to thegaccompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a medial cross section of my friction draft gear showing the parts in eX- Panded position'. Fig. 2 is a similar cross section showing the parts in parti llycoinpressed position. Fig. 3 is a similar cross .section with the g'ear in fully compressed position.

This application is a division of my c0- pending application filed June 10, 1.914, Se rial-Number 844,176.

y invention relates to an improved form of friction draft gear, and hasfor its principal purpose to provide a strong and smoothly operating gear which willaccommodate all buiiing and pulling stresses'without imparting shock to the car, and further, obviate all releasing shocks by frictionally preventing sudden recoil of the gear when relieved of'buiiingv or pulling stresses.

As illustrated in the drawings, 1 represents the Idraft sills having thefdraft lugs 2. n

4: represents the yoke which'embraces a pair of oppositely-disposed casings, 5 having the lugs 6 adapted to engage the draft lugs 2.

The oasings carry the draft springs 7 which coperate at their inwardly presented Y ends with .the friction plates 8.

clined'friction faces 5 and 5".

' .Mounted between'the friction plates Sis a transverse spring 9 coperating at either end with the transverse friction plates 10 "and held under lcompression when the gear 1s in normal or expanded position. -rlhe housings 5 are provided with the in- Loose friction elements 12 are disposed intermediate the adjacent friction plates 8, 10, andV 5L and coperate with the friction surfaces 8a and 10", all of which converge in the direction of the center of the gear and the friction surfaces 5a which diverge in the direction of the center of the gear All of these adjacent friction surfaces have angular dis- I posal relative tov one another and support the loose friction elements 12 in Contact with one another. The outer portions of the friction plates 10 coperate with the longitudinally extending friction surfaces 5 of the caslngs. Friction plates 10 have lateral friction surfaces 19, all of which converge'toward the center ofthe gear and the lateral surfaces l0,C are adapted to coperatie with` `each other, itis obvious that the sloping faces 5a will force the loose elements inwardly between the faces 8.t and 10P, which action will` tend to compress the vdraft springs. `Meanwhile the transv'epse spring .f 9 remains under compression until the casings haveu moved sufficiently for the friction faces 5b thereon to begin to ride down on the lateral friction faces 10 of the'plates 10. rIhis will permit the transverse spring 9 to expand, forcing the plates 10 outwardly, until, at eXtreme compressed position, the parts occupy the position illustrated in Fig. 3, wherein the draft springs are compressed.y and the transverse spring expanded.

. Upon the removal of the compressing stress, recoil of the gear is prevented by lthe engagement of the friction faces 5b with the friction faces 10c of the plates 10.V The initial expanding' infiuence of the draft springs, therefore, is consumed in overcoming the tendency of transverse spring 9 to expand and the friction between the faces '5b and 10. Friction is also supplied by the.

a comparatively heavy friction between the' loose elements and the faces 5a and 8.

Hence all sudden recoil of the gear is prevented, and the parts assume their normal position gradually and without spring vibration. l

I am aware that various changes and modifications may be made in the construction of the devices without departing from thespirit of my invention as indicated in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, a movabley casing, a draft spring cooperating with the same, .a transversely operating spring, and a friction plate operable by said transverse spring to engage said casingto oppose movement of the latter by the ldraft spring.

2. In a draft gear, a. movable casing, a

ric-

draft spring coperatmg -with the same,

tion elements coperating with said casing and said draft springf'a transverse spring, and a friction plate coperating with said transverse spring and said casing and adapted. to be moved by said transverse spring so as to have increasing frictional engagement with said casing upon compression of the draft spring. l

3. In. a draft gear, a casing, a draft spring coperating therewith and adapted to be compressed upon inward movement thereof, and a transverse spring coperating with said casing and adapted to have expansive movement upon inward movement thereof.

4. In a draft gear, a movable casing', a draft spring coperating therewith, and a transverse spring coperating with said casing and adapted to oppose movement thereof under the expansive influence of said draft spring.

5. In a draftgear, a casing, a draft spring, and a transverse spring, said easing being adapted to.have inward movement against the infiuencebf said draft spring and outward movement against the infinence of said transverse spring.

6. In a draft gear, a movable easing, a draft spring, a transverse spring, friction elements forming means of coperation between said springs and said casing, said casing being adapted to have'inward movement against the influence of said draft spring and outward movement against the infiuenee of said transverse spring.

7. In a draft gear, a casing, a draft spring, friction elements operable by said draftspring to oppose inward movement of said casing, a transverse spring, and friction elements operable by said transverse spring and coperating with said casing to oppose movement thereof.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aiiix my signature in the presenceof two witnesses, this 17th day of July, 1914.

JOHN M. ROI-ILFING.

Witnesses:

OSCAR HOCHBERG, JAMES J. COOPER. 

